Prick Up Your Ears

Islington, London, 1967, a small flat - it’s five o’clock, it’s a quarter past five. An argument is brewing. Kenneth Halliwell is anxiously waiting the return of Joe Orton who strolls in late, in an outlandish new coat. Joe is riding high: his new play Loot is a sell-out, he’s just sold the film rights and he's getting offers everywhere. Kenneth is deeply unhappy, struggling to sell collages to friends and bitterly identifying as his lover’s “personal assistant.”

Kenneth's evening of indignity at his exhibition opening is another chapter in an increasingly dysfunctional relationship with Orton - a once loving union of partners in crime, now a sham marriage simmering with toxic jealousy and unhealthy dependency. As Halliwell's misery intensifies, Orton's successes multiply - their bond further distorts and Halliwell decides to take drastic action.